Albrecht Durer is probably the most famous German artist of the Renaissance, if not of all time. His works are world-famous and he was a master in numerous artistic disciplines such as woodcut, copperplate engraving, drawing and painting. What is less well known is that he was interested in weapons and fencing throughout his life. He produced several woodcuts for a tournament book by Emperor Maximilian I, but he devoted himself much more thoroughly to the subject of duels in his own extensive fencing manuscript. Durer's fight book stands out from the mass of illustrated fencing manuscripts because of its outstanding quality. In well over 100 elaborate drawings, the master uniquely depicts dynamic pairs of fighters practising contemporary combat techniques, such as wrestling or sword and dagger fighting. Since its creation more than 500 years ago, the fight book has never been published in its entirety. This edition offers the complete contents of the manuscript for the very first time: All illustrations are reproduced in colour and the complete text is presented in a letter-perfect transcription as well as a translation into modern English. Albrecht Durer's fight book offers a unique, new look at Durer the artist and Durer the fighter.

About the Author
Dierk Hagedorn is a long sword instructor at Hammaborg, a club for historical fencing in Hamburg, and a passionate wearer of armour. He has transcribed more than 30 of the approximately 80 surviving fight books in the German language. In 2017, he won the HEMA Scholar Award. He works for the IT subsidiary of a large German airline for numerous creative issues such as user experience, interface and corporate design.


Book Information
ISBN 9781784387037
Author Dierk Hagedorn,
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Greenhill Books
Publisher Greenhill Books